Verizon Droid

OTA update for the HTC DROID Eris is being pushed to handsets at about midnight this evening. The ROM is 1.16.605.1 and the radio version is 2.32.40.11.09 . Just as Motorola’s OTA update worked, the DROID Eris will as well — slowly to a small group of people, then expanding over the coming days. Here’s a brief list of some of the fixes and you can always check the documentation on Verizon’s site.

• While on a call and the device is in screensaver mode, pressing the
• End key now takes the device out of screensaver mode, and a second press will end the call.
• On-call mute and speakerphone icon functionality is enhanced.
• Upgraded functionality after activation eliminates the delay users were experiencing in receiving their first call.
• Device now switches effectively from 1x mode to 3G.
• Device no longer requires users to reselect a default email after power-cycling.
• SMS and MMS messaging delivery is improved.
• Eighty-character MMS/SMS message subject lines are now allowed
• Improved picture messaging functionality allows messages from LG phones to be opened.

Source: BGR

Wait – before you rush to the store to pick up the Motorola Droid from Verizon, you should really, seriously consider the HTC Droid Eris. The Motorola Droid has been getting all the glory as of late, thanks to it’s cathartic bashing of the iPhone via its “iDon’t but Droid does” commercials, but the Eris might actually be the Droid you’re looking for. Check out the reasons why from Cell Phone Plans:

1. Form Factor
2. HTC Sense – Eris Has It, Motorola Never Will
3. Coming Soon to HTC Droid Eris: Android 2.0
4. Still Packs a Punch
5. Price

Verizon’s full video demo of the HTC Droid Eris

Matthew Miller from ZDNet calls the HTC Droid Eris the best $100 smartohone. Here’s why:

…because the form factor is so compelling. It is wrapped in black soft touch material, it is narrow so it feels like a phone, it is thin, it is dense, and it has curves that make a supermodel envious…HTC was able to pack in their awesome Sense UI into the ERIS at this low $100 price point

Compared to the Motorola DROID, we see this device with a sleeker form factor, better performing camera, and the Sense UI (with all the great HTC widgets and customizations) while the DROID has the a slightly faster processor, larger higher resolution display, hardware QWERTY keyboard, and vanilla Googla Android experience with support for the new Google Maps Navigation beta. The Motorola DROID runs Android 2.0 while the HTC DROID ERIS runs Android 1.5. Which Google Android device do you find more compelling on Verizon?

The HTC DROID Eris will go on sale alongside the Motorola DROID tomorrow, priced at a bargain $99 with a new two-year contract.
Here are some pictures of the HTC DROID Eris box:

[Source: Slash Gear]

HTC’s first “DROID” phone is nothing more than a rebadged, shape-shifted Hero, and that it’ll be launching on Verizon on November 6th, the same day as Motorola’s DROID. That means Android 1.5 “Cupcake,” Sense UI, 3.2-inch screen, 528MHz processor and so forth. The Eris will retail for $199 but with a $100 mail-in rebate. It’ll pack in an 8GB microSD card and the hopes and dreams of a generation of cheapskates that will be hopin’ and prayin’ that HTC manages to push Android 2.0 onto this thing so they don’t look too bad in front of their DROID-toting buddies on Verizon.

[source: EngadgetMobile]

CIO.com has some articles about the Motorola Droid:

Is the Droid Good News for iPhone Owners?
“The more platforms, the merrier,” says Gartner analyst. “Competition is a good thing.”

Verizon Droid: 5 Standout Features
Well, gang, it’s official: Verizon’s Motorola Droid smartphone is on its way into the world. The Droid, unveiled Wednesday, will hit store shelves on November 6 with a $199.99 price tag, after a $100 mail-in rebate and with a new two-year contract.

Motorola Droid Vs. Apple IPhone 3GS: Finally, a Contender?
Today’s formal unveiling of the Motorola Droid smartphone on Verizon’s network was an anticlimax, given most of the details had been leaked days earlier. Nevertheless, it’s the boldest, most open iPhone challenge yet.

Verizon has the HTC Droid Eris in the pipe too, which is shaping up to be little more than a branded Hero in a slightly different shell. It’s looking like Verizon is going to be pursuing an aggressive tiered pricing strategy that might allow these phones to coexist in peace and everlasting harmony: unlike the DROID’s $199 sticker, gdgt has it on good authority that the Droid Eris will run a hundie less at $99.

[Source: Engadget]

Interesting news for the non-Verizon users: the GSM version of the Motorola Sholes got certification this week from the FCC. What was strange was that the Motorola Sholes already cleared the FCC last month, in Verizon-ready CDMA form (Verizon Droid). This is probably the EU version of the Sholes. Source: MobileCrunch